Nicole Lezin and Cecilia Espinola: Creating a culture of coverage on the Central Coast

What if you could compare health insurance plans as you compare airline tickets or hotel features on sites like Expedia? Instead of comparing flight itineraries and hotel amenities, you could compare each plan's benefits and prices.

That's the basic idea behind the new Health Insurance Exchanges that are a cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act, also known as health care reform. California was the first state to create one of the new exchanges, which is called Covered California. About 5.3 million Californians will be able to buy their health insurance at more affordable rates than current individual plans through the exchange, and about half of them will probably be eligible for subsidies that help lower-income individuals and families afford coverage. The idea is to have everyone covered, so insurers and providers can offer their plans at lower costs because they'll have more people enrolled.

Even though the exchanges are designed to make it easier for people to afford and obtain health insurance coverage, it's new and can be confusing. That's why Covered California recently awarded grants to organizations across California to help spread the word about the exchange and explain how it works. Santa Cruz County's Human Services Department (HSD) was the lead agency for a successful joint application from organizations in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. Many of the participating organizations are also part of the Health Improvement Partnership (HIP) of Santa Cruz County, which convenes local health care partners to work on common issues such as access to care for the uninsured.

NL: What's the timing of the new Covered California exchange? When will people be able to get health insurance coverage?

CE: Coverage officially begins Jan. 1, 2014, but there's an enrollment period that starts in October of this year, so we're getting ready now.

NL: How does the Covered California grant help you and other agencies prepare?

CE: The grant supports 16 different organizations across our three Central Coast counties with training and materials to educate people one-on-one or in small groups, so that people have a chance to ask questions and understand whether they may be eligible for subsidies and how to enroll.

NL: How can people find out more about the coverage options and costs under Covered California?

CE: A great place to start is the Covered California website, www.coveredca.com. The site includes a cost calculator, so you can enter your family size, income and ages of those needing coverage to figure out what monthly costs might look like, and whether you'd be eligible for a subsidy to make it more affordable.

Covered California is going to launch a statewide media campaign later this summer and into the fall, as well as town hall meetings that we'll help publicize. Look for local staff from schools, hospitals, health clinics, county agencies and nonprofits to be out in the community at all kinds of events starting this summer, if you want to talk to someone one-on-one.

This is an opportunity to create a "culture of coverage," with as many as people as possible able to get health insurance coverage that they may not have been able to get before because of pre-existing conditions like diabetes, or high premium costs. With access to routine care and treatment outside of emergency rooms, we should be able to help many more people lead healthier lives.

Nicole Lezin is a consultant to HIP. Cecilia Espinola, MSW, is director of the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department.